World Bank emphasises potential of DRC power plant

A power plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could hold the key to improving the nation via efficient governance and development, it has been claimed.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick is currently touring three countries in Africa and spoke at the Inga hydroelectric site that only operates at a small proportion of its capacity despite being built 30 years ago, Reuters reports.

The bank is trying to get the power plant - which is situated about 150 miles away from Kinshasha - back into use as it believes some 45,000 megawatts could be generated and subsequently used to provide electricity for 500 million homes in Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Angola, as well as the DRC.

Both social and business conditions could be bettered via boosted power generation, Mr Zoellick said, but there is lots of work to do.

"We think if we can take this step we can draw in more partners for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ultimately improve the life of the people, which is the real purpose," he added.